144 Tin: NAUTILUS. 



knowledge from many who would enter, if the way was not so beset 

 with the thorns of synonyms and unnecessary divisions of genera. 



If we were laboring along under huge and glaring inconsistencies, 

 we would meekly submit to correction. 



It would seem, that the only persons benefitted by this state of things 

 are, those who make and support these changes in order to increase 

 their catalogues of species and varieties * * * * by the addition of 

 the so-called new varieties and the adoption of new names for old 

 and well known species ; or, those teachers of science who are in re- 

 ceipt of salaries and can thus afford to devote their whole time to 

 one subject, or those who are anxious to air their knowledge by the 

 use of hard names and the division of well known genera into as 

 many sub-genera as possible. 



The one great object of the teacher should be to make the road as 

 easy as possible to his pupils and followers, whereas the real ob- 

 ject of many would seem to be exactly the reverse, and instead of 

 removing the stumbling blocks and smoothing the rough places, 

 some of them seem intent upon making a hard road still more diffi- 

 cult. 



For example — the name Helix is getting to be pretty well known 

 as the scientific name for Snails, and in the index to " Land and 

 Fresh Water Shells of North America" by Binney and Bland, pub- 

 lished in 1869, we find 341 specific names including recognized spe- 

 cies and synonyms, under the generic name of" Helix," whereas in 

 later publications we find this simple genus has been divided into 

 thirty or forty sub-genera, the names of which convey no idea to 

 the student, who is confronted by the substituted and. to him mean- 

 ingless words, such as Hehn'inthoglypta, Micrarioiita, Enparyplui, etc. 

 as applied to the poor innocent Snails, of which my esteemed friend 

 Dr. Stearns says, " there is neither propriety nor advantage in their 

 use." I note also, that some of our writers * ^ ;k ;K ^ * * 

 * * while proposing to cut down the number of species and vari- 

 ties of the Land Shells of other faunal regions, are hard at work 

 manufacturing names for additional species and varieties in their 

 own region, Yea verily, " Consistency thou a?-f a jewel." * * * 



To illustrate what we may expect if this genus, species, and 

 variety making continues, I will instance the "way in w'hich some of 

 the small provinces and countries manufacture varieties of postage 

 stamps for the express purpose of selling them to stamp collectors. 



^ Tlie w?/w/^(?r of subgenera atiribuied to Mr. Binney is liherally estimated. 

 Mr. B. never used the names Helininthoglypta or Alicrartonta. — Ed. 



